What messages are you sending? Here are a few of the most common
ways you can hurt your reputation at work without even realizing
it:

Underpreparing for meetings

When you prepare for an important meeting, how much time do you
spend thinking about what you're going to say versus how you plan
to communicate that message with your body language? Most
professionals spend 0% of their time on the latter, says Morgan,
which can seriously undercut their authority.

"Every conversation is two conversations — message and body
language," he says. "When they're not aligned, body language
always trumps content." If you're not aware of the second
conversation, you may have done all your homework but come into a
meeting slouched over, speaking in monotone, and conveying low
energy levels. Your coworkers will likely focus more on your lack
of enthusiasm than the ideas you present.

Using a "head posture"

You can win over or lose your colleagues in the first 30 seconds
of meeting with them, says Morgan, just by the way you hold
yourself. One of the worst body poses is something he calls the
head posture, where your shoulders are rounded and your head is
pushed forward. It's common in people who spend a lot of time in
front of a computer, but it signals subservience to those around
you.

"If your head is bowed over a smartphone, or you've got lots on
your mind and your head is pitched forward, you look unhappy to
be there," Morgan says.

Leaning back in conversations

Most functioning adults have learned how to control their faces
and can easily portray a calm, interested expression, Morgan
says. However, true feelings "leak out" in people's
micro-expressions. "The body tends to carry out our unconscious
desires," he says. And people are very good at spotting these
signals in others.

One of the top ways you signal to your boss or coworkers that
you're bored, impatient, or generally disinterested is by leaning
back rather than into the conversation. Similarly, positioning
your feet away from the person you're speaking with and towards
the door indicates that you want to escape.

Not controlling your voice

"We completely underestimate the power of the voice," says
Morgan. People with rich, resonate voices sound more
authoritative and are more likely to become the leaders of a
group. On the other hand, he says a thin, nasal voice is less
appealing and often irritating.

Most professionals don't even think about their voices and
haven't been taught how to control them. A stressful situation,
like an important presentation or meeting, causes many to push
their voices outside of their natural vocal range, which makes it
sounds thin and weak. Women tend to go up too high, while men
tend to go too low, he says. Sitting or standing upright, taking
deep belly breaths, and letting your voice rise with passion and
fall with authority help create what Morgan calls a "leadership
voice."

Rambling

Another way that people squander their influence, says Morgan, is
by not telling good stories. Research shows that good
storytelling is powerful. It creates anticipation in the listener
and actually synchronizes people's brains.

Unfortunately, most people are terrible at telling stories, he
says. They ramble, provide way too much detail, and wind up for
too long rather than choosing the right moment to start the
story. "People vastly overestimate how interesting they are," he
says. Great stories include conflict, grip the listener right
from the start, and are stripped down to the most important
details.